This is a super simple way to save a ton of money that goes down the drain for everyone. This also reduces some of the chemical toxicity in the water. For a little work (less than a half an hour) you can make 20 gallons for less than $5!
You can find most of these ingredients at WalMart in the same general area, like on a bottom shelf.
First get 2 quarts of water boiling, stir in grated bar soap until dissolved, then remove from heat and stir in dry ingredients. Divide between 2 buckets.
To each bucket add have the bluing and Oxiclean plus the fabric softener (if you use it). Stir these until well mixed or use the stick blender. Add water to bring buckets to 3/4 full. Let sit overnight.
Next morning, stir again. It will be a gel like substance, stir very well until thoroughly blended. Pour into soap into containers 3/4 full (use funnel). Shake very well when going to use it.
I get detergent containers from recycling boxes, friends, family members. I like the big ones with the spigot on the end. You can shake it and set on shelf then measure half the cap. If you have others doing laundry, take a permanent marker and mark where half is at on the cap. Make sure they only use half. This is concentrated.
I only wash in cold water and if I have stains to pre-treat, I have an extra bar of Fels Naptha that I get the garment wet and scrub with the bar. It washes out well in the machine.
Try this! You have nothing but a half hour of time to lose and you will see how well this does and how far it goes. I was amazed when I first tried it. I added the bluing, Oxiclean, and fabric softener to the main recipe you can find anywhere. The bluing brightens whites. I don't like bleach. The Oxiclean is a little extra insurance that it will get really clean, and I use the fabric softener (like national brands do now), to not use softener sheets that clog the filter and cause problems on the life of the dryer. Happy laundry day!
By Suedobbins from Davenport, IA
Can I use homemade lye soap instead of the Fels Naptha? I have been making lye soap for years, and I love it. I know most store bought bar soaps are not made with real lye.
They use a mixture with potassium instead of sodium. Will this make a chemical reaction I should be aware of? Please let me know. Thank you.My mother used to make lye soap and she used it in her washing machine by grating a little off the bar. I can't remember her using anything else with it. I hope this helps.
How do I use Boraxo hand soap to wash clothes in my machine? and do I mix it with regular washing detergent?
By Angelo
Can you add Oxiclean to homemade laundry soap?
By Karen
I've never added it to homemade powder, but I have mixed it in with commercial clothes detergent powder, so I think you should be able to do it with homemade.
It was pretty easy for me to do it with the commercial product because the soap and OxyClean containers are labelled for how many loads are in each (using the recommended amount per wash). I mixed the OxyClean and commercial soap powder based on that; used a wooden spoon to mix it in a squeaky clean bucket then put it in a dollar store tote to dispense.
Does anyone add Tide or another store bought laundry detergent to your homemade powdered laundry detergent? If so, how much do you add? Mine seems to need a booster. It doesn't get the grimy look out of some clothes.
By lasamons
Experiment. Use a small amount of Tide (like 2 tablespoons) with your homemade detergent and see how it comes out. Add more Tide until you are happy with the results.
I need a recipe for low suds laundry detergent. Thank you.
By Lola from Bartlesville, OK
Any recipe you find online to make homemade laundry detergent (soap, really) is low sudsing. Some people irrationally think that it doesn't clean well if there aren't suds, but most of us that use it know better.
Anyone have suggestions how to grate down pink Zote soap for laundry detergent? It is quite a soft soap and I have to leave it grated larger or it gets gummy.
When I tried making liquid laundry detergent with it, it wouldn't melt, it just clumped up. I have a bunch of it I'd like to use. When I leave it in the larger grated form, it doesn't seem to dissolve very well. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
By Cristin from NY
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
&frac; cup washing soda
&frac; cup borax powder
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use &frac; cup per load.
good luck.
Has anyone had trouble with homemade laundry detergent? I made a batch using the recipe: 1 bar of shredded soap, 1 cup washing soda, and 1 cup borax. It called for using a tablespoon in the wash. I have been using 2 tablespoons and it does not seem to be getting my clothes clean. Does anyone have a suggestion?
By Linda from MA
I have made my own laundry soap for almost a year. I make a liquid soap rather than the powder. My first batch I used a Zote bar and my clothes were clean and smelled nice. Then I switched to Fels-Naptha soap to make it and no matter what amount of soap I used my clothes were never clean and my husband complained that they smelled after working in them only a few hours. So I switched to Ivory soap and wasn't happy with it either. I then went back to using a Zote bar to make my detergent and my clothes look great and smell great. The only place I was able to find the Zote bars was at a local Latino foods grocery store. You can also adjust the amount of borax used according to how hard your water is. For my husband's stinky work clothes I also add 1/4 cup of Simple Green. It gets the greasy smell out of them! I hope this helps!
I am looking for a recipe for laundry detergent.
my husband has fallen in love with the smell of our laundry
itsmellsgoodinhere.blogspot.com/
itsmellsgoodinhere.blogspot.com/
What do you use to make your own laundry detergent? My husband and I are expecting and I am trying to think of new ways to cut costs. Does anyone know how to make homemade laundry detergent? If so please post the recipe!
Low Suds Laundry Gel - suitable for top or front loading washing machines.
Take one bar of laundry soap (eg Velvet soap) and shred. Place into two quarts (1.9 liters) of simmering water. Stir well and allow to sit, stirring occasionally till completely dissolved. Pour into a 2 gallon (7.4 liter) bucket and add 1 gallon (3.7 liters) of cold water. Dissolve 2 tsp of lye in one cup of cold water (never use an aluminum container for this process - preferably use stainless steel) and when main mixture is cool add the dissolved lye and two cups of borax to the mixture and stir very well until the borax is dissolved. You can add a few drops of essence oils if you want fragrance. Add enough water to the fill the bucket, stir, set aside covered until the next day. It should be a gel that dissolves perfectly into a load of wash. Use one or two cups per wash load.
I am using caustic soda for the lye. Both the caustic soda and borax are available from the supermarket.
WARNING: Always add your solid form lye (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, caustic soda) to the liquid. If the liquid were added to the solid form lye a violent reaction could result. This means you could have a "volcano" erupt out of your container. Any form of lye will give off poisonous fumes so don't breathe the fumes in and prepare in a well ventilated area. Do not have children present. The caustic soda prevents your washing machine from clogging up.
I put the gel directly into the drum of the front loading washing machine. The gel is firmish and will clog up the normal dispenser.
I use Ivory soap, washing soda (different than backing soda) and hot water. All I do is grate a bar of Ivory soap and melt it in a pot of water, then I fill up a bucket with about 4 gallons of hot water and add the soap, make sure the soap is smooth or your laundry soap will be lumpy. Last add 2 cups of the washing soda and stir. As it cools it will get thick and then you can put it in your bottles. I just use water jugs. You use a cup per load. I like the way it works your clothes don't have a perfume smell, but it's the perfume that's bad for us anyway. Hope this helps you. For more great homemade things like baby wipes check out http://www.recipegoldmine.com
